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I'm 31 years old with two kids. I had been off birth control for close to 4 years, but now I'm back on ortho-tri-cyclen low (for 6 months now).
Two months ago I went back to the dermatologist for the same ol' thing (that seemed to have worked in my teens)
I'm washing with benzoyl peroxide in the morning along with clindamycin topical.
At night I wash with neutrogena makeup remover wash, use clindamycin again, and apply tretinoin .1% every-other-day
other than my skin being a little bit more dry and pealy than normal....I honestly don't see a difference. I'm still breaking out in the t-zone and jaw line... 3-4 new whiteheads everyday.
When I was pregnant and even in the times when I wasn't (but wasn't on birth control) I was using a mild wash and deleted apple cider vinegar toner - while I was still as frustrated, I felt like it was even slightly better before I started all of this :/
have any advice? Specifically from those post-partum (I'm 8mo) and/or in your 30's?
Hi Ashley, I'm 32 and have had no kids but been on and off birth control.
In my humble opinion, for hormonal type acne, nothingis a complete solution expect possibly accutane You may want to try a different pill - I believe Yasmin is the best. After that, you may wish to consider roaccutane.
I did oral and topical antibiotics and tretinoin gel. Only roaccutane worked for me, I'm afraid.
In the meantime, I reckon you're being a little harsh with your skin. I would ditch the washes you mentionedand replace with cetaphil, la roche posay or avene cleansers. Use SPF moisturiser/antibioticin the am and tretinoin/gentle moisturiser in the pm. Use cool water and don't pick or scrub.
I would highly recommend Dr Sam Bunting's videos on youtube (she was/is my dermatologist).
Good luck!
Is it the Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover? If so, keep that one. It's a really good cleanser. The Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover is awesome too, but I don't think I'd want to use it on my face. I'm 36, no kids, no hormonal birth control. I'm on a very similar regimen (clindagel in the morning and tretinoin 0.05% at night). It works beautifully for me. It's almost exactly the same thing I did in HS, which is really weird, yet it works so much better.
Do you use a salicylic acid product? If not, I highly recommend adding in Paula's Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment with 2% BHA ( http://www.paulaschoice.com/shop/skin-care-categories/aha-and-bha-exfoliants/_/Resist-Daily-Pore-Refining-Treatment-Two-Percent-BHA ). I use it morning and night. Makes a huge difference in keeping my pores clean. And because it's a liquid, it doesn't contribute to the build up of products on my face. I use it right after I wash my face, then wait 20-30 minutes before applying either the clindagel or the tretinoin.
What SPF are you using? Something else I've discovered is that SPF 30+ tends to be inherently water-resistant, which can lead to product build-up on your face. To get away from the "greasy" feel of traditional oil-based cosmetic products, companies switched to silicone, which is hellahard to wash off. I use a super soft microfiber washcloth (oddly, it's a microfiber dish towel from Williams Sonoma that I cut in half) and gently massage the NeutrogenaNaturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Removeronto my skin to breakup the SPF and makeup. I wash off that mess and follow with CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser to rinse away any residue left by the Makeup Remover. It goes against everything I've ever learned aboutcleansing acnegenic skin, but I've been doing this for a few months and my skin is perfectly clear, not dry, not oily. Note: I don't scrub; this is a very gentle massage.
If you're using silicone-based products, they could be adversely contributing to your acne, either by causing some clogged pores or preventing the meds from absorbing properly. Maybe try using a gentle washcloth? Definitely add in the PC 2% BHA. That stuff is amazeballs.